Page 105 - ION Indie Magazine JanFeb 2018

NATE KENYON took a seat directly across from me on the coffee table of the green room at Whiskey Barrel
Music Hall in Laconia, New Hampshire. The charismatic singer/songwriter, originally from North Brookfield,
Massachusetts, is far from shy.

While he was in elementary school, his mom wanted to put his four sisters and him in something productive.
She enrolled them in Cool Kids Choir. The director of the choir, BONNIE MILNER, took an interest in Nate and
his sisters. Bonnie also ran Longview Recording Studio in North Brookfield, MA. Nate had his first experience
in a studio booth at nine or ten years old.

When Nate was about 13 or 14, his parents split. Mom had family that lived in Georgia, so his mom moved
them to Baxley, GA to be close to her sister. At first it was complete culture shock for Kenyon. “I was young. I
didn’t know how to deal with it…so I rebelled against it initially,” Nate recalled. It didn’t take long for him to
fall in love with the South. “I’m not taking anything from the North, but we all have that certain place we find
our peace, and for me, it ended up being the South.”

At 19-years-old, Nate found himself auditioning for “America’s Got Talent.” He sang “Come On Get Higher”
by MATT NATHANSON and made it to the semi-finals. “I was terrified...really scared. I was a kid who wasn’t
singing very good who had a JUSTIN BIEBER haircut,” Kenyon said of his experience. “I hadn’t taken a serious
approach to finding my voice yet…I was still trying to find my voice.” Nate quipped that he only made it as far
as he did due to his Justin Bieber haircut, but ION watched the video and disagrees.

After “America’s Got Talent,” Nate, felt like nothing was really happening with his music career, so he enrolled
in Georgia Southern University. One night, a buddy of his came over to his apartment and said to Kenyon,
“Man, let’s write a country song.” Though Nate had been in Georgia for almost ten years, he hadn’t really
considered writing country music. “I told him, ‘We can try it,’” Nate said, admitting he was more than a little
hesitant.

To Nate’s surprise, they wrote an entire song in one night. He wasted no time in acting. “I woke up the next
day, quit my job, dropped out of school, broke up with my girlfriend, sublet my apartment, and moved back in
with my mom,” Kenyon said animatedly. He went on to write an eight-song acoustic album and started getting
gigs.
Nate moved to Nashville, Tennessee and signed with Warner Chapel Records. After some time, Kenyon really
wanted to be close to his family, so he began considering a move back to Georgia. Warner Chapel didn’t re-
up his deal.

About a year and half ago, Clay Sharpe of the band The LACs contacted Nate to say he and fellow LACs’
member Brian King were starting their own label, “Dirt Rock.” Kenyon signed with them, saying he, “finally
feels like I took a right step after going through all the wrong ones.” Nate said, “Dirt Rock is the most incredible
thing I’ve ever heard of -- mix all the mutts together…doesn’t matter what kind of music you do.”

Kenyon collaborated with The LACs on the song “Dirt Road Dollars,” which racked up 1.6 million views in a
month. “I’m happy to be part of the Dirt Bag family,” Nate said, referring to the names of the members and
fans who follow the Dirt Rock label. Not only has Nate found his peace in the South, he also found where he
wants to be with his music.

Discover Nate Kenyon at: https://nk-music.com/
Watch his video with The Lacs, “Dirt Road Dollars”: https://youtu.be/dcM9af0VBHY